Day 11 in Malawi

We got up EARLY for church, this is the first of three services at Capital City Baptist, and the one Roberta usually attends. After church we went back home and packed up everything we needed for this afternoon. We went to a beautiful place owned by friends of Roberta's called The Four Seasons. It has beautiful gardens, with water features, and a lush tropical feel. There are a few different restaurants, coffee shop, ice cream shop, fancy gift shop and a beautiful nursery garden center. We went for an early lunch and walked around the grounds. It took so long for our lunch to be served that we didn't have much time to eat so took most of it with us. I will have it for supper. Then we headed out to Dzaleka Refugee Camp and the YWAM base for a fun project with a group of teenage girls. Katie will guess what it is, I am sure. When I was here 14 years ago I discovered/realized that women and girls dont have access to sanitary pads for their periods. They use old rags, and when they wash them, they have to hang them to dry where no one will see them. Often, the girls don't go to school during their period because they have leaking onto their clothes, nowhere to change rags or wash their hands. So the leader of the girls group asked about having the girls sew by hand a period pad that has a waterproof/leak proof layer and a way to hold an absorbent cloth that can be changed. We also gave each girl a pad already made and a pair of underwear. So I did not have high hopes for this project because I just didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if the girls knew how to sew or even thread a needle. I decided to save time by cutting all the pieces out and pinning them together with a needle. It would have taken all day if I had them cut it all out first. As it was, we were there for over 2 hours. The girls did a great job. It appeared that most of them knew how to stitch at least a little and were able to complete the project. They were pretty shy at first and didn't talk much. I asked them to sing for me as a way to say thank you and will attach a video of them singing for me. I had 30 kits and 37 girls. But the last seven came an hour late, so they didn't get to sew. Then when I asked them to join me for a photo, they went crazy and all jumped in front of me, so the pics aren't great. Roberta took most of the pics, and she is already asleep, so I will add hers tomorrow. It was a very special and rewarding time for me, but boy, we were wiped out when we were done. I am thankful that traffic was much lighter on Sunday. We had an adventure in driving as we left the camp. Just before getting on the main road as you leave the camp, there is a very narrow space between two buildings that you have to drive through and then turn right away. As we approached that turn, we were met by a small herd of cattle, maybe 12-15 of them, and had to stop and let them pass. We never know what's going to be on the road!Read more